Hi Junko, beyond the status symbol lure of iPhones, is there any hope for practical apps & extensions for iPhones in China, like monitoring in medical fields, lighting control in smart homes... or will those be dominated by cheaper alternatives? Do you hear any local opinions on these?
MP Divakar

Exactly, Luis. I don't think Apple wants its iPhone to be in the same category with other smartphones, which would force Apple to compete with others solely on price. The status symbol is not a bad pla to be.

If there are a whole lot of unlocked and jailbroken iphones already in China, what would be the benefit for the consumer for iPhone's sold through the operator?
As mentioned previously, the iphone that enters China market through a carrier should have a lower price so that it becomes a good sale.
Though, on the other hand, considering the lure of the icon the iPhone is, perhaps they high price wouldn't be something that scares the buyers but on the contrary, something that draws the buyers who want to make a status statement.

I too agree that supporting TD-LTE on iPhone5 is important for Apple to remain in competition with Samsung. Also feel the same as others who has spoken about price competitiveness. Apple needs to do something to keep the price competitive.

Qualcomm's MDM 9615 chipset supports TD-SCDMA and TD-LTE. I see no reason why Apple wouldn't use this in iPhone 5, they are already using older versions of this chipset across their line.
So I'd say it is almost certain that the iPhone 5 will support China Mobile's network, now, and in the future as it is upgraded to TD-LTE. The only question is whether Apple and China Mobile can make a deal to officially sell and support the iPhone on their network.
Given that there are millions of jailbroken iPhones already being used on China Mobile's network at Edge speeds, there will be plenty sold to be used on China Mobile's network whether there is a deal or not. A deal would only increase these sales.

I did notice the heavy references on BMW and LV in that clip.
Regardless you can afford it or not, young Japanese people are equally brand-conscious as Chinese are, when it comes to BMW, Luis Vuitton, iPhone. There are really no difference!

Well, it's part of a backslash against "status symbol" culture and actually the meaning of status in China right now. (Essentially, what's wrong with the world part, the world Gaofusuai, Baifumei and fuerdai, while the "normal" world of diaosi is been left behind and rot.)
Iphone (That video I sent you, Which is a not so hidden Nokia ad, but it went viral anyways), BMW (The famous "I would rather cry in a BMW than smile on a bicycle") and LV bags are essentially symbols of that culture.

Thanks for these two links!
Clearly, Chinese people still long for iPhones. But you are saying that Apple iPhone in China is now longer just a device, but it has become more of an "icon" for "what has gone wrong with this world."